RUSSIA TRIP SUMMER (2015) Day 2

Moscow is always electrifying for me

I slept around midnight after long conversation with Sergey and searched for new place to stay. I woke up at 04.40 Moscow time and Nobody’s still at their up-time. I knew that the usage of toilet would be very crazy in the morning, everybody would wake up at the same time and need the toilet at the same time. Imagine! For about 20 people with 2 toilets (toilets and bathroom were at one place), it would be a nightmare for me if I were at the urgent state. Surprisingly, the toilet was clean and good enough. I enjoyed my 30 minutes without disturbing. And then suddenly somebody knocked the door to let me do fast. “Damn, it is 5.10 and everybody has woke up” I said to myself. I got my defecation faster that it was supposed to be and got my body showered with hot running water. The place, even crowded, was convenient enough to take a shower. Unfortunately, I could not get that privilege at that time. I signed out from the bathroom and yes, everybody had woke up. I walked ambling pass them, and I met Sergey, yes he again. 

“did you find new place for you? I think this hostel is not good for you, you can see there! Many people waiting for toilet, only 2 toilets for 20 people. That’s awful. If it weren’t this cheap i would not stay here.” He said to me. Well, he was kind of right, everybody had no option but the cheapest place to stay. This hostel was for like dormitory for labors for construction rather than for travelers. I packed all my bags and ready to leave. But, I needed breakfast. I went kitchen and I met tall, kinky, white, quiet guy. He cooked Kasha, a Russian porridge. He stared at seconds at me then he continued eating. I boiled my Indomie and while preparing it I looked at him.

“Dobroe Utra! Good morning” I greeting him, and he was just nothing to respond. Well, I thought that I pronounced my Russian very bad so he didn’t understand. My indomie was ready and I brought my Indonesian tea with me which I shared with Sergey that time, nobody else in the kitchen, everybody was busy with toilet matters, Sergey, that time, had to leave at 10.00 so he had time no need to rush. He told me that I could with him again anytime I came back to Moscow, we exchanged our vkontakte account so we could reach each other easily, for Moldova purpose.

I bid a farewell to the receptionish who gave my money back for one night, as I paid for 2 nights stay. I walked across buildings to get my new hostel. It was said only 300meters away from Frukt hostel.

Hostel Garden

Садовая-Черногрязская ул., 5/9, Moscow, Rusia,

Well, that address was just right the corner. I tried to get my hostel. Again, I found trouble. The door was actually behind the building where I had idea how to reach at the first time. I found the way and the gate was locked and it required me to have an access key to open the gate or somebody opened it from inside. Standing for 5 minutes then a guy asked me where I needed to go, I told him I needed to go to the garden hostel. He opened for me and the hostel was convenient, it was just at the first floor, how convenient it was!

party alone at 8-beds dorm

I knocked the door and the receptionist opened for me, and the receptionist was the tall, kinky, white, quiet guy I met in hostel. I was surprised how could he worked in this hostel but he loved in different hostel. That was long story I already got the answer but the answer for not from day 2. He could speak little English, so we talked in Russian-english. The hostel charged me 750RUB (well, almost triple than frukt hostel), but the condition was totally different with frukt hostel, the hostel was clean, very nice and nobody stayed there, I was the only guest that time. I paid him and gave the deposit I should give for 100RUB. I got my bed in 8-beds mixed dormitory, and the condition was amazing, like the hostel in Yerevan, very good. 

So time to work on my visa registration! Well, actually NO!! What?? Yes another problem arrived! I moved to pricier hostel because of this matter. I asked him, his name is Vladimir, yes Vladimir, very Russian name, about visa registration, what was the answer? He had no idea about that. Oh I got another problem, he had no idea he just browsed how to do it and asked me to do. I told him that the hostel had to do it, but he refused to do, he just gave me the confirmation of stay and the phone number of the hostel, I needed to go myself to the immigration, which is about 500 meters away from the hostel.

After long argue I still did not get the answer, there was another guy, a Caucasus look. He asked me and, yes he was more fun that Vladimir, but more aggressive.

“Hey Man, what’s your problem? We cannot register your visa, you must do it by yourself, Volodya must stay here, he cannot leave the hostel.” He said

“Okay, then You go with me as you are working too in this hostel to the immigration!” I insisted

“No man, I cannot help, I need to go to do another work, so you must do it yourself! We never register the visa here.” He answered. My hope was gone. Then I asked Volodya to print me the map to go to Immigration office also to copy my passport and visa and all the papers needed, he at first asked me for 100RUB, I said no to him, well I was quite rude with higher voice. I got all the documents and ready to proceed to Immigration office ALONE.

It was sunny summer, at 11.00 weather was good, around 16 C. everybody looked so happy and Moscow was amazingly beautiful, yet I couldn’t enjoy it as I needed to get this thing all done. This time, it was easy because the building was a single building and number attached on the wall written immigration office. I entered the building, and it sounded nothing, no activity. There was an old security asked me what I needed to do. I said to him Visa matter. He let me in.

Then somebody pointed me to get to room at left. I entered and surprised, so many people here. They were all Russian bringing pasports, a lot of foreign pasports with them, I assumed they were agents to register for some fee. I should have contacted them so I had more time to explore the city. There was no good queue system, everybody could go anytime they wanted. I let them do it first I read all the information written there. And everything was in Russian and I understood nothing.

The lady at the vacant counter called me, because nobody else waited and it was about for lunch time. She was typical Russian lady, no smile, cold sight , and unfriendly at all.

“I need to register my visa, here all the papers for you to check!” I surrendered my papers to her.

She spoke Russian that I didn’t understand at all

“RUSSKIY NYET, NYE PONIMAYU! NO RUSSIAN, I DON’T INDERSTAND!” I told her

Well, she then said something that I interpreted that I had to leave, he asked me to go out, he kept gave my papers back. I really had no idea what she said, she might have said that not me to go, but the owner of place that I was staying to register my visa.

I walked without result, but the weather was really good, I couldn’t be that sad. But I was still that sad because I worried if I didn’t register my visa I would be deported and paid hefty fine or I could not enter Russia for 5 years. I still walked and walked, then I stoped in MTS, an cellular provider to buy SIM card. The seller was a pretty girl, she looked like from the far east part of Russia. She told me that the card could work in entire Russian Federation, with internet data plan and I got one free SIM card. I paid for 500RUB and another 500RUB for top up. She was really helpful to set up everything and register to the system. And from that time , I had Russian phone number. I walked back home, still sadly.

Volodya then told me that I didn’t need to register if I stayed less 7 days. I told them that I would stay for 30 days n Russia, and he then he told me, not 7 days in each city. I was quite unsure about what he told me, but at that time was a bit relief, worry-free about my visa. I went to my bed and enjoye the good bed for a while and I met the another guy.

“hey!” I greeted him

“Hey, where are you from? Sorry I speak bad English.” He taked to me like a swag, Russian swag. I cooked my another Indonemie as walking that “far” took all my energy.

“You don’t look like a Russian, are you from Azerbaijan or Dagestan?” I asked him, not seriously, just for fun.

“No Azerbaijan bro, I am Armenian, My home town is in Artsakh, you know? “ he again talked like swag

“Artsakh, of course, that’s Nagorno Karabakh. I was there last summer, it was Azerbaijan right? So You are Azeri, not Armenian! Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan land! Hehehe “ I made fun of him. (P.S. I had no any intention talking about this, if somebody feel offensive, I am sorry, but I am neither in Armenia nor Azerbaijan part, that’s was fully to tease him, nothing else)

“No, Artsakh is Armenia! You are so funny bro, I am Georgiy, nice to see you!”

Then I went for small nap after so tired as I had a rendezvous with my friend in Red square at the evening.

Finally I met my friend, Daria. She had worked in Jakarta for a year before he moved to Portugal and back to Moscow. We were good friend back in Jakarta, till date anyway. We talked a lot about our updates. She took me around the red square (well, I had been there, twice on winter) but summer was very good, Beautiful view. I enjoyed so much the company and Moscow at night. But, I was another sad, my camera was broken, the lens, because I unintentionally dropped my camera and it was broken. I could not snap good pictures of Moscow, but I still managed to get some. I had another problem to fix this, as I had no budget for that, WHY PROBLEMS KEEP ON COMING?

blurred!!! me and Dasha

We finished at 22.00 we bid adieu and I forgot my wallet, I was so shocked, and I was so helpless. All my money and cards were there, how could I was so careless. I was unsure that I left my wallet in hostel. But I tried to convince myself that the wallet was in hostel. Darya paid for my metro ride for 50RUB, thank you. What a long day, which actually very short. I run to my hostel and fortunately my wallet just laid peacefully, as nobody stayed there.

Day 2 continued and day 3 next :